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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23367625">Goodnight</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomrperwriter/pseuds/randomrperwriter'>randomrperwriter</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work, The Last of Us, The Zombie Survival Guide - Max Brooks, Tom Clancy's The Division</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Dark, Death, Gen, Horror, Inspired by The Walking Dead, Multi, Original Character(s), Realistic, Sad, Science Fiction, Survival, Survival Horror, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:03:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,650</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23367625</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomrperwriter/pseuds/randomrperwriter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zombie apocalypses are just a work of fiction. We look at them as an interesting work to scare us but we ultimately know that the story is false, regardless of how real the author, game developers, or producers make it seem. It isn't possible. It won't happen. It's just fiction. Right?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Zombie Movies Are So Unrealistic</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Have you ever considered how stupid people are in zombie movies?” Evelina asked, looking over at her boyfriend as they finished another zombie movie. It was just another night for them. The world was changing, things were just going to shit. There wasn’t anything they could do about it but theorize what was going to happen.</p><p>“How so? What makes them so stupid?” Adrian asked, chuckling a bit as he looked at his girlfriend. She was so adorable, wearing one of his t-shirts and a pair of shorts. Her pale hair was up in a messy bun so her freckles were completely visible, her round dark blue eyes looking at him keenly. Almost the complete opposite of him. She was petite, looking delicate and fragile whereas he was tall and muscular. He had dark red hair and hazel eyes. </p><p>“Well, no one in zombie movies or shows ever seem to know what the fuck a zombie is. Like, c’mon. The idea of zombies isn’t anything new. Do producers really expect their audience to believe that there’s a world where the idea of zombies just doesn’t exist?” She replied, shaking her head and tsking as she got up to get them some more snacks for their movie binge.</p><p>“Uninformed I would say. That doesn’t make them stupid though.” He responded, watching as she went into their galley kitchen. Their apartment was certainly on the small side, situated in the city so it was close to their work and college. It was the best they could afford with their limited income.</p><p>“Well, clearly they have phones and the internet before the world goes to shit. I just find it hard to believe that people would be that clueless or unprepared.” She said, coming back with some chips and dip as well as a bowl of fruit.</p><p>“And that’s why people think you’re crazy.” He teased, kissing her cheek as she sat down.</p><p>“Who called me crazy this time? I just read enough and research, an outbreak like that is possible. I mean look at <em> The Last of Us </em> and <em> The Division </em>. Humanity is one bad outbreak away from having a pandemic which could then turn into a zombie apocalypse. But no, people who think that are the crazy ones.”</p><p>“Jonathan called you crazy this time. He asked me why I was still with you since you’re crazy and all that. I know you just overthink everything, Eve. That’s how you’ve been since I’ve met you.”</p><p>“I’m not crazy, I have an active imagination which causes me to think of all possibilities. But I have my grievances with zombie movies in general. A pandemic doesn’t just break out overnight, it takes time. It’s actually easy for people to get easily infected.” Evelina replied, stretching and yawning a bit. It was almost 4am, she needed to sleep soon to get ready to go to work.</p><p>“Why don’t we end the night here? We can watch more movies tomorrow after work since we have the weekend off.” Adrian said, turning off the TV and gathering the trash they had.</p><p>“But I just got more snacks.” Eve pouted, munching on the chips she had grabbed.</p><p>“And they can get put away, you’re getting tired, I can tell. I’ve been with you for four years. I think I would know your patterns.” He chuckled as she got up and helped him before putting the snacks away. He went behind her and wrapped his arms around her.</p><p>“You don’t think it’ll actually happen right?” She asked him softly.</p><p>“What will happen?”</p><p>“An outbreak of some kind of zombie parasite virus fungus thing.”</p><p>“Very scientific,” He chuckled as he teased her. “No, I don’t think so. It would have to be some kind of rabies but who knows. Our world is a weird place and anything can happen. Either way, we are prepared for a bad situation. We have plans for it. Let’s focus on the good and not the possibilities.”</p><p>“That’s true… maybe you’re right, otherwise I won’t get any sleep thinking about it.” She said, looking at him before he scooped her up and carried her into their room.</p><p>“I’m becoming a police officer. I served in the army, remember? I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Not even your over active imagination.” Adrian told her, laying her down on the bed. “You help me feel better and I help you. That’s how we’ve always been.” He told her, leaning down and kissing her lips. “I’ll put on a Disney movie so you don’t have nightmares again.” He said.</p><p>The TV in their room was turned on a low brightness since they both had difficulty sleeping from time to time. Adrian had PTSD and it haunted him, Evelina had insomnia and just couldn’t make her mind slow down or shut up. So it was their solution, put on something happy at a low volume so as to not disturb the other. It usually worked out well. A distraction which allowed them to slip off into sleep, even if it was restless. He turned on <em> Moana </em> so they could relax with something lighthearted as they fell asleep or at least went to the movie selection.</p><p>Evelina had a point though, the movies with zombies were unrealistic. He knew plagues or pandemics didn’t happen overnight. They were built up gradually, becoming consumed once they grew to a certain point. If a virus or something similar made people act like zombies, the military would be on it and trying to stop it before it grew. Especially if it was only transmitted through bites. There would be lock-downs, it would go into martial law like <em> The Division </em> . It wouldn’t suddenly be ‘oh, there are ravenous creatures running around, let’s all go kill them’ or ‘what the fuck are those things coming at us?’ It made him think and consider the possibility. It was just something in a science-fiction movie, it couldn’t actually happen. Right? Though, <em> The Last of Us </em> portrayed something that could actually happen. Fungus spores are small and can easily penetrate the body. Or even <em> Resident Evil </em> , a man-made virus created to essentially destroy life. But those were video games just like <em> I am Legend </em> and <em> Dawn of the Dead </em> were just movies.</p><p>Eve did her research in her free time, she was interested in the plausibility of those types of things. Adrian knew it was some kind of control for her. He just had to assure her that it wouldn’t happen, it helped keep her calm and prevent her from getting anxiety. Part of him wondered if that was even the truth with how the world was evolving. Things were changing and he felt like something big was creeping up on them. What it was, he wasn’t quite certain. It felt like the calm before a storm. They were prepared for most types of incidents, they had guns, both could carry and knew how to fire them as well as clean them, they had masks, they had food if she didn’t eat it all from stress eating. They could fend for themselves for a little while at least.</p><p>“You look like you’re thinking about something again.” Eve said sleepily, “You haven’t even started the movie. Is everything okay?”</p><p>“Yea, sorry. I just got lost in thought again.” Adrian assured her, relaxing and laying down beside her as he pressed the play button before pulling her close.</p><p>“Are the doors locked?” She asked him.</p><p>“I’ll go check.” He said, getting up and going to make sure the doors and windows were locked. He turned off any lights they forgot to turn off and switched on the nightlights which illuminated their apartment softly. He went back into their room and laid back down. “Alright, doors and windows are locked. No zombies are getting in.” He chuckled, kissing her lips lightly as he pulled her against his chest.</p><p>“Good.” She murmured, yawning more as she relaxed against him, watching the movie as she started to fall asleep.</p><p>“Mhm, goodnight, love.” He said softly as they both started to fall asleep.</p><p>His friends would laugh at him if they knew he was actually considering the possibility of a zombie outbreak or any kind of serious outbreak like that. It was better to be prepared than to be caught ass out though. No, nothing like that could ever actually happen. Zombies are just a work of fiction after all. Right?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Wait... What's Happening!?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A strange virus is sweeping across the world. No one knows what it actually is and it seems to be a normal flu. But things are never as it seems. It seems like science fiction may be starting to come to life.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Life after that night seemed to carry on normally, nothing really changed. It was just one of the things Evelina brought up randomly during the night but it never seemed to affect their day to day lives. Just a silly idea while they continued with their lives, finishing school to get their degrees and start working. Adrian was already working part time at the police station while he got his degree in order to become a full fledged police officer. Evelina was studying biochemistry so of course speculating on things like zombie outbreaks would be interesting to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>While Jonathan considered her crazy, he didn’t actually think she was, just obsessed with the possibilities and dangers of going too far with chemistry. Irene was Evelina’s best friend and his girlfriend, she would scold him for calling her crazy. The two had classes together since both needed similar classes for their fields. Irene was studying to be a nurse before becoming a doctor so she took many of her science classes with Evelina. The four would plan game nights and everything was normal between them. No one would suspect that things would change in the coming months.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Two months passed, the seasons changed from late summer to a cool autumn. Leaves were changing and flu season was approaching just as quickly as Halloween. There were rumors of a virus spreading quickly but no one seemed to take it seriously. It was just like every other ‘outbreak’ that had happened in their lives, no one really seemed worried until it really started to get serious. After all, it was probably just a new strain of the flu like there was every single year. The new spoke about the possibility of quarantines for areas infected and still, no one thought they were serious. No one knew the true extent of the virus or what it even was. Apprehension had been formed because of the past exaggeration of so many other illnesses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was different though, stores began to close and laws were passed that were trying to keep people in rather than going out. It should have been a telling sign that something was wrong. Hospitals that held those sick with the new illness weren’t accepting anyone who wasn’t sick or showing symptoms of the illness. This was something that Irene brought up on one of the double dates the two couples went on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They don’t ever do that with hospitals. They only ever set up floors to isolate severe cases. I’ve never heard of this happening and the other nurses and even doctors think it’s strange.” Irene said before she took a bite of her food, scowling a bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was something that was on all of their minds. There was a faint glimmer of possibility. Could it actually be? No, that’s just science fiction nonsense. But Evelina didn’t rule it out but she didn’t say anything about the thoughts she had about it. She didn’t need Jonathan making a snide comment about her and her ‘crazy’ theories.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Any idea of what the illness actually is? All the news sites classify it as a virus. Is it actually?” Adrian questioned, looking around the table at Jonathan, Irene, and Evelina.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think it’s a virus but it’s something that we really don’t have a cure or vaccine for. They think it’s airborne or at least it can be spread through coughing and sneezing.” Irene commented.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’ll probably pass, we just have to give it time.” Jonathan replied, “You know how these things go. But this one has really seemed to freak people out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I blame the media. I mean, look how they are making everything sound so much worse than it probably is.” Evelina said, rolling her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still think we should keep an eye on the situation, monitor it and see what happens. We’re stuck in the Bay unless we get out with enough time. You know how hard it is to even leave the city, imagine the potential hysteria added on top of it if it is something serious.” Adrian said calmly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Each of them gave a nod of agreement. They weren’t trying to be conspiratorial, they were just trying to make sense of the situation which the world was starting to crumble under. It just felt strange to even consider that it was something more serious than just a virus. It was just flu season and they were always finding new strains as the virus mutated to get around vaccines. But still, there were places around the world that were implementing quarantines and prohibiting travel. How serious was it actually?</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Two weeks passed and things seemed to get worse, schools were closing as well as anything that was considered a gathering place. Irene and Evelina worked at a restaurant which had to close because of fear of how quickly the virus was spreading. The symptoms were vague, they sounded just like the flu. A cough, high fever, difficulty breathing, severe headaches, aching, nausea, fatigue. So why were things shutting down? Why were people told to isolate themselves if they felt like they had these symptoms?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything was starting to get weird, take out restaurants were only open certain hours. It was scary with how society was delving into a serious lock-down. Evelina was getting worried, maybe because she was suspicious about what was going on. Was this what it was like to go into a pandemic? Things felt terrifying, her and her best friend were out of work while Jonathan was working at the fire department while Adrian was working at the police station. They didn’t know how long this was going to continue and they didn’t know how long they could continue like this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Evelina had been reading to pass the time with Irene staying over so they could at least have company together. She was rereading some old fiction books, actually her favorite, Max Brooks </span>
  <em>
    <span>Zombie Survival Guide</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It felt fitting since they were holed up in her apartment with not much to do. They were a little afraid to even go outside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think that’s what’s actually going on?” Irene asked Evelina, “Could we have a zombie outbreak?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, it’s just a work of fiction. I don’t know if it could actually happen. If it is… then I think the world is fucked. There are so many iterations of zombies and it could honestly be something we are familiar with or we’re not.” Evelina replied, putting her book down. “Things are looking more and more suspicious but until it happens, people like me who consider the possibility are considered crazy and conspiratorial.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think it’s crazy, you study biochemistry. Anything to do with biochemistry, including studying viruses, interests you. Jonathan just likes giving you crap because it pisses you off.” Irene responded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s true. Adrian is suspicious of everything and it’s weird that you can’t even do your clinicals and get your hours during this.” Evelina commented.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Things are really serious at the hospital. Those working aren’t even leaving under orders of the government. They have to eat and sleep in some of the staff rooms. It’s awful. I rather be able to leave than stay there.” Irene sighed heavily. “They release those who get better to their home but are told to stay in quarantine. I’ve noticed how weird people are acting though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They are getting things that are potentially irrelevant. They are acting like it’s the end of the world. Overstocking on things. It’s just a temporary lock-down, not a long term thing.” She said in annoyance. It was difficult to go grocery shopping for their everyday needs since the canned food was only for emergencies if something more serious happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Later that night, Adrian came home, seeming to be concerned. “No one tried to come into the apartment other than Irene, right?” He asked her seriously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, no. Irene and I were here all day and no one came by. Why, what’s going on?” Evelina asked, stopping as she had been cutting vegetables for dinner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think we’re looking at something far worse than just a virus, Eve. The government is having difficulty containing it and hospitals are overcrowded. This is a highly contagious disease, whatever it is. I didn’t take off my mask at all today.” Adrian said, taking off his boots and going to was his hands and any visible skin. “I think it’s time we consider our disaster plan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, that seems a bit extreme. I mean, it’s possible…” She said hesitantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is serious, Eve. Things aren’t going right and I imagine it’s going to hit martial law soon. They are closing everything and they are serious about making sure no one is outside or close to anyone they don’t know.” Adrian said, having changed his clothes and going to join her as she made dinner. “They activated the National Guard in New York. And they’ve been testing people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We should still wait, I want to be sure before we decide to up and leave the city. It’s a risk and it could very well risk your job if we just go with it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrian couldn’t argue with that, she had a point. It would be stupid to just leave until they were certain that things really were reaching a point that couldn’t be contained. He sighed heavily and helped her make dinner, after cleaning and watching movies with her before she fell asleep with her head in his lap. He picked her up and put her in bed, staying up to reflect on what was happening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He remembered their conversation months ago, her saying people in zombie movies were stupid for not knowing what zombies were. They were just fiction but some of the behavior he saw, it shook him. People were behaving erratically. That wasn’t something made public with the symptoms of the mystery illness. It made those who had been released and deemed well aggressive and agitated. He didn’t understand it but something told him things weren’t right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everything will be okay.” He murmured, pulling her sleeping form close to him. “Maybe things will just pass and it will just be another thing that was hyped as more serious than it actually is.” Her soft breaths helped calm him and put him at ease.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrian truly hoped things weren’t going to end up in a zombie outbreak but this illness was too strange. He didn’t know why or how but something felt like it was going to get far worse. Something felt off and his military instincts were sounding off, that was why he felt he had to be insistent that something bad was going to happen. He was just trying to push that feeling to the side as he started to fall asleep.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>It was 3 am when there was pounding at the door, waking both Evelina and Adrian from their sleep. The pounding at the door continued, sounding insistent and constant. Evelina looked scared as the pounding continued, Adrian wore a serious scowl.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay here. I’ll go check it out.” Adrian told her sternly, grabbing his handgun and leaving their room to see what was going on with the person banging at their door. There were no calls for help, there was nothing but the banging. When he got closer, he saw the person trying to turn the door handle. He looked out of the peephole, seeing a woman there who looked sickly. She was pale and looked out of it as she rammed herself against the door consistently. “Who are you?” He yelled through the door, not wanting to open it. They saw enough horror movies and pretty much any movie dealing with a stranger pounding on the door to know not to open it right away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman didn’t answer, just continued to bang against the door, seeming more alert when he yelled through it. Her pounding became quicker and it seemed like she was trying to get inside. His yelling seemed to provoke her. Adrian pressed himself against the door while he unlocked the door, keeping the chain across the door so it couldn’t open more than a few inches at best.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who are you?” He demanded, barely cracking the door as the woman rushed the door, giving a snarl and scream. “Shit.” He managed, holding the door back. Yep, it was a bad idea but he was trying to get an answer out of the woman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This seemed like a strange thing to happen. They didn’t live in a bad neighborhood, it was just the cheapest neighborhood. The apartment itself was highly secured, so how this woman got inside was beyond Adrian. He helped ensure the apartment was safe after they moved into the apartment building. It helped Evelina feel more at ease to know there wouldn’t be a way for someone to break in since her home had been broken into when she was younger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman tried reaching through the crack, clawing and growling. She was making guttural sounds and didn’t seem to be acting normally. She was behaving similar to some of the people he saw earlier that day. He believed this was caused by that virus or illness. No one knew what it really was, only that it was highly contagious before this point, the point that he woman was at. Then no one knew what happened because these people appeared to get better and now they were getting worse. He shoved the door closed and locked it again, resulting in the woman shrieking and slamming against it again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adrian?” Evelina asked, standing in the doorway of their bedroom, looking concerned. Her eyes were wide and fearful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, babe. Go back into the room and lock the door. I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out.” Adrian told her calmly to help ease her. She gave a small nod and went back into the room, closing and locking the door. She was terrified.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Evelina didn’t know what was going on as she sat against the door to try to listen to what was going on. She could hear the door open, a woman screeching and groaning before there were three shots and a heavy thud. She could feel the tears well in her eyes, not knowing what just happened. She thought she was brave and yet she was sitting there, trembling like a small child. She heard footsteps coming towards the door and she hugged her knees, fearing the worst before hearing Adrian speak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eve. I need you to get our things together, we are going to Jonathan’s. I’m going to get the stuff in our guest room.” Adrian told her through the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She got up and quickly gathered their things. Something about the tone of his voice let her know that this was serious. Far worse than it was a few hours prior. She threw clothes into two of their bags they used for hiking and long trips. Once everything that was essential was packed, she opened the door slowly, holding the other handgun which had been on her side of the bed. Her eyes widened when she saw the body of the dead woman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We may have a case of zombies on the rise.” Adrian said when he saw Evelina. “Got everything?” He asked, earning a nod from her. “Good. We are going to stay with Jonathan and the four of us are going to figure out what we want to do. Things may move quickly and whatever happens, whatever we decide to do, I need you to trust me and if I lie, you need to go with it at whatever cost, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adrian…” She started but his serious look stopped her from objecting, she was scared but this was serious. “Okay, I’ll trust you and I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrian nodded and guided her around the body of the now dead woman and took her to their car. He loaded everything up and drove them to Jonathan’s apartment, it was a nicer apartment but it had been his parents and they moved out after they decided to move to Florida. Jonathan was half asleep and surprised to see the two but quickly understood when Adrian gave him a telling nod.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit is going south.” Adrian told Jonathan while he helped him bring in the items they brought. “It’s turning people into some kind of monster. It’s weird. They seem to get better but then they just go berserk. I had to shoot a woman three times just to get her down. She’s dead now, hopefully.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are we going to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get the fuck out of here before they make it impossible to actually leave the area. We can get some sleep though, it’s late and I think we should plan when we have some more sleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll make sure everything is locked, you two can stay in the guest room and we can discuss plans over breakfast.” Jonathan told him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrian nodded and went with Evelina to the guest room to get some sleep. She laid down and yawned before promptly falling asleep. “Goodnight, Jonathan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Night.” He called back before going to go back to sleep with Irene.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Things were going to be changing now and not for the better. It was about to get much worse. Just how many people were released from the hospital under the belief that they were better? The government and army would surely step in… but there were rumors that even people in the military and government were starting to get sick. Was this the beginning of the end or the beginning of something only imagined in movies and video games?</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Whoo! I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you enjoyed reading it!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Is This The End?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Things are starting to get bad, starting to shut down. Strange things are happening to the infected. Is this the end?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Oh my goodness, I am so sorry for taking so long to update this story! I ended up going through a lot of personal stuff which snowballed into me losing interest in my writing. Anyways, I'm really happy to be able to finally update this story!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>In the morning, Irene was surprised to find Adrian and Evelina at the townhouse. Jonathan hadn’t woken her to explain the situation when they arrived, he wanted to just sit down and explain it when everyone was awake and alert. Evelina spoke softly to her while they made breakfast together, smoothies, and scrambled eggs. Jonathan and Adrian were both quiet, considering the possibilities of the situation. Neither really believed the zombie theory but something was up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Evelina turned on the TV to watch the news to see what was going on, looking strained and concerned. She wanted to know just how bad things were, how they got worse from yesterday so quickly. Now they couldn’t go back to the apartment, Adrian killed a woman. He told her she was sick and not thinking clearly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There are over 50 million confirmed cases in the United States alone, this is only the confirmed cases and there are more to be suspected as people are not able to go to the hospital to seek medical attention as the hospitals have been overwhelmed. This is one of the most contagious diseases we have seen and has infected more than the common flu.” The newsperson stated, images of crowded hospitals and frantic doctors flashing on the screen. “Officials say this illness is highly contagious and are still uncertain of how transmission is spread, it is believed to be through saliva as well as airborne spores emitted through coughing and sneezing. They recommend avoiding all contact with anyone who you do not see regularly and wearing masks when you do have to go out. The death toll has risen as well. It is recommended to remain in quarantine. There are states which are prohibiting any unessential travel. Many states are considering prohibiting any and all travel to try to help prevent further spread of this unknown virus. It cannot be stressed enough to avoid all travel-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrian sighed and turned off the TV, “You’re only going to worry yourself, Evelina. Let's eat breakfast.” He said, guiding her away from the tv and to the table. “We can focus on our plan in a bit. This just means we can’t leave as soon as we want.” He told her, rubbing her back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are we going to stay here for the time being? You could get into serious trouble for what happened.” She responded, her brows furrowing in concern.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s what we’re going to figure out. Step by step, okay?” He assured her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded and sipped her smoothie while Jonathan and Adrian began talking about what their plan of action was going to be. They had to plan it out, there was no telling whether or not they would go under martial law considering how there were already travel bans in place. The girls were quiet, seeing how quickly everything had changed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was that woman acting like?” Jonathan asked Adrian since he was the only one who actually encountered the woman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She didn’t seem agitated until I called through the door. Almost like the sound provoked her, that’s when she started banging against the door harder. She didn’t talk, only growled and grunted and made guttural noises. She still had a medical bracelet too, after she was down, I read it and she had been released earlier that day.” Adrian explained. “I’m guessing she appeared to be fine and recovered from the illness.” He sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So it’s making people seem better than completely changing their behavior?” Irene questioned, looking concerned as she listened to Adrian.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pretty much. I don’t know what it could be though, or how a virus or disease could even do something like that.” He sighed heavily. “I saw similar behavior when I was working at the station yesterday. It could be why the need to remain inside is being so heavily pushed. They are trying to figure this out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s just crazy how quickly the world is falling apart from this. People are acting like morons.” Jonathan sighed heavily, shaking his head in disbelief before looking at Evelina, “No, this isn’t the apocalypse, it’s just a pandemic, don’t you start with that kind of shit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Evelina scowled and let out a hiss in response, “I wasn’t going to say anything about that, geez. I know you think I’m a crazy-ass bitch but give me some credit. There’s no evidence that this is an apocalypse, even if it was, I would hope it ends soon. But that is how literally </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> apocalypse movies start, life is great and grand, then it starts getting weird, then </span>
  <b>
    <em>bam!</em>
  </b>
  <span>” She slammed her hand on the table, “There’s a pandemic, everyone is going crazy and killing each other, zombies rise, it’s a fight for survival.” She leaned back and looked at him. “I wasn’t going to say anything but I’m just saying, it’s eerily similar to what happens in those movies and games and stories.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Only, we know what a zombie is,” Adrian commented, recalling their talk about how she thought people in zombie movies were stupid for not knowing what a zombie was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hypothetically, yes,” Evelina responded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why only hypothetically?” Irene questioned, piping up to have some voice in the conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because zombies are a work of fiction, Rene. Don’t pay any attention to the ramblings of a crazy lady.” Jonathan scoffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How the hell are you still his friend when he insults me constantly?” Eve huffed, crossing her arms and glaring between her boyfriend and Jonathan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you can take a dick but you can’t take a joke, Evelina. You just make it too easy.” Jonathan scoffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop acting like children, both of you. Eve, stop pouting, we’ve been over this, Jonathan is an asshole who has no regard for anyone’s feelings. Jonathan, stop insulting her, she’s just making a point that this situation is eerily similar.” Adrian mediated, shaking his head as he looked at the two of them. Sometimes he wondered if they ever grew up past 10 years old with how they bickered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is similar but I just worry because there is no real-life equivalent of zombie behavior found in humans unless somehow cordyceps really did evolve to be able to take over humans but the symptoms in </span>
  <em>
    <span>Last of Us</span>
  </em>
  <span> don’t match how people have been acting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if there are two illnesses. A virus to weaken the immune system and then another which only attacks once the person’s system is weakened. Could that explain how a seemingly well person can then become ill?” Irene suggested as it seemed like the only possible plausible solution.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Potentially, but for now, we are going to stick together and plan for the worst. If things get worse, we are leaving the city and are going to get to safety. We have a cabin for the winter, that should be safe enough.” Adrian said with a heavy sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Should be was the keyword… but everything </span>
  <em>
    <span>should be</span>
  </em>
  <span> fine. Everything </span>
  <em>
    <span>should</span>
  </em>
  <span> work itself out. Right? That was just how everyone thought. It was what everyone believed. It should be easy to believe and easy to ignore. Pandemics don’t last forever, there was one for the Spanish Flu but that lasted a year… a year felt like a long time. But that was 1918! This was 2020! There were advances and it meant that it shouldn’t last as long, right? Science was modern and there was more that could be done. Of course, given the circumstances, Evelina didn’t believe that it was just a simple case of the flu. Maybe she was too into science fiction and apocalyptic stories or she was seeing something other people refused to see. Whatever the case was, something felt off.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'll be trying to update as much as possible. I really hope you guys enjoy it, it was inspired by a conversation at work before quarantine happened. So, there you have it! Thank you so much for your time!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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